Levi and the Beast
by Rosa Pendragon
Summary: A parody of "Beauty and the Beast", the Disney movie. GaLe. Gajeel learning to love, Levi being Levi, and dramatic subplots. T to be safe. If I could add another genre, it would be humor!
1. Preface

Preface

The Legend

There once was a fair young prince who lived in a gorgeous castle. Though he was given everything he wanted, he was a savage, greedy boy who had no sympathy for any of his servants and paid them mere pennies for their work.

One day an old woman came to the door of the castle, offering the prince a single red rose in exchange for shelter from the cold night. The prince was disgusted by her ragged appearance and turned her away.

"Do not judge what you see," the old woman said, "for you are easily deceived by appearances." The prince, entertained by the idea that his first instinct was _wrong_, laughed and sent the woman on her way a second time. Immediately, the age melted from her face, and the woman stood before the prince as a beautiful young magician.

"You were warned," the woman growled. A surging yellow light shot from the magician's hands and engulfed the prince, burning his skin. "You have shown me your true self, young prince, and will be marked for your sin," she said. The prince transformed suddenly into a hideous, snake-like beast.

The light shone brighter still and traveled through the entire castle, touching each and every one of the people inside. The prince cried out helplessly, and reached out to the woman.

"Your pain moves me," she said. "I will give you a chance." The woman picked up the rose that still lay at the prince's feet. "Before this enchanted rose loses its final petal, you must learn to love and be loved in return. Then you will return to your original form. If not, you will remain a beast forever."

The magician disappeared, leaving the prince to walk quietly back into the castle, clutching the rose to his chest, never to set foot out of his home again.

**Author's Note: **

**This is an introduction or prologue or preface to my story, Levi and the Beast. As you've probably guessed, it is a parody of Beauty and the Beast, the Disney movie. Or maybe you read the description. Either way, be ready for some funny/dramatic chapters full of GaLe!**


	2. Village Magnolia

Chapter 1

Village Magnolia

It was a morning like any other in the small village of Magnolia. Men, women, and children filled the market, visiting the many shops and venders. One girl in particular was sprinting toward the library carrying a large, think book, which seemed almost out of place in her tiny hands. Her long, blue hair streamed behind her, revealing her bright face.

"There goes Levi," a man said to the vender he was buying fish from. "She's always going to that library."

"I heard a rumor that she and the young bookkeeper are…you know," the vendor chuckled.

"Who? Jett? I bet he started it himself. I always see him fawning over her," he said. "Look at me! Gossiping like an old woman," the man laughed and paid for his fish. "See you later!"

Levi hurried through the shelves and slammed the thick book onto the counter right in front of Jett, a young man twice the size of her with spiky, blazing red hair.

"Did I make it?" she asked between breaths.

"Yeah?" Jett replied. "Just barely. You're not usually late. Did you like it?"

"Immensely, Jett. It was just fantastic!" She gave him a warm smile, making Jett blush.

"That's good. I was almost afraid you wouldn't get through it."

"Blasphemy!" she cried. "I almost read it five times!" Levi said proudly. Jett gaped down at the nine hundred-page book.

"How the _hell _is that possible, Levi? It's so long! It took me three and a half weeks to read it _once_!"

"I told you I loved it, Jett!" Levi giggled. Jett blushed a darker red and turned away so she wouldn't see him.

"You should have it then," Jett mumbled.

"What?"

"You should take the book," he repeated. "Since you like it so much!" Levi gave him a look of pure astonishment.

"Can you do that? I mean—I can't just _take _a book from the library!" Jett smiled.

"Of course you can," he laughed. "I want you to have it."

"Wow," Levi whispered, running her hand over the book's cover. "Thank you so much, Jett!" She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, picked up the book, and dashed out of the library onto the square.

Jett was left there, staring off into space, touching his cheek where Levi had kissed it, turning bright red.

"What's up man?" It was Droy, another worker at the library. Jett gave him a sly grin.

"You just missed her, Droy."

"WHAT? When? Why!"

"_And _she gave me a _kiss _on the _cheek_," Jett snickered as Droy's face turned bright red with rage. The fight could be heard five shops down.

Across the way, Laxus, a ladies man, sat on a bench with one of his cronies, Freid. Laxus grinned as he watched Levi hurry over to the fountain in the middle of the square.

"You see her, Freid?" He gestured lazily at Levi and snickered. "She's gonna be my wife."

"Levi?" Freid asked, giving the girl a disgusted look. "Such a disgustingly weak girl does not deserve you, Master Laxus." Laxus leaned back and crossed his legs.

"Shut up," he grumbled. "She ain't weak. I wouldn't want her if she was." He gave Freid what he thought was a small punch on the arm. Freid winced and nodded. "It's all the other chicks in this damn village that're weak. Levi's the only one who doesn't give into my manly charms." Laxus gave Freid a terrifying, toothy smile. "I like a challenge, Freid."

With that, Laxus lifted himself from his seat and sauntered over to the place where she sat. Levi, who was deep into her book, didn't notice him until his long shadow darkened her page.

She looked up and, with a sigh, said, "Hello Laxus."

"'Sup?" he said with a small smirk. "Watcha readin', shortstop?" he asked, tearing the book out of Levi's hands and looking through it. "Whoa," he whispered. "How the hell can you read this thing?" he asked incredulously. "The words are so freaking tiny!"

Levi tried to snatch it back, but was too short compared to the extremely tall man. She gave a huff of annoyance. "Some people _enjoy_ reading, Laxus. Perhaps you should try it sometime."

"If read to me, Levi, I wouldn't have to bother." He leaned on the edge of the fountain next to them and threw the book toward Levi.

"You should be more independent, Laxus," Levi said, throwing as much venom into her words as possible. "I'd prefer you that way."

Laxus rolled his eyes and put his hands in his pockets.

"Goodbye," Levi said pointedly. As she turned away, Levi could feel Laxus's eyes following her up the way and shivered. She'd always thought he was a bit scary with that big scar across his face. Plus, he's a total jerk!

"Why can't he just back off?" Levi grumbled as she walked in through the front door of her and her father's house.

"Stop talking to yourself!" Levi jumped at the sound of her father's voice. "You sound like you're going mad!" Levi laughed as the short, white-haired old man walked into the room. His name was Markarov.

"You talk to yourself all the time, Papa!"

"Yes, but you see, I went mad long ago, so it's all right." Markarov twisted his big bushy white mustache and sighed.

"I'm having problems with _him _again," he said, frustrated. Levi's father was referring to _Voir_, an invention that he'd been working on for the past year and a half for the Magic Council. It was meant to read people's thoughts and record them on a sheet of paper.

Levi, who didn't know much about magical engineering in the first place, gave him a reassuring smile. "What's wrong with him this time?" she asked hesitantly.

"The Gatalian meter isn't fluxuating in time with the Homunculation gear!" he exclaimed. Levi stared at him blankly.

"Of course," she mumbled. "Why don't you just adjust the…Homunclation gear to fit the…Galaton whatever?" Markarov laughed.

"Gatalian meter," he corrected. "I can't, since it's fixated permanently to the Imagination capacitor."

"Ah," Levi grunted. _I don't understand at all._ "Anyway, let me take a look at it." Markarov led his daughter to the basement and uncovered his creation.

It was an automaton, beautiful and hand crafted, about the size of a man. _Voir's _"skin" was made of some kind of transparent material so that you could see straight through to all the gears and meters and capacitors that kept it running most of the time.

"Show me where the problem is?" Levi asked, seeing no flaw in _Voir's _spotless machinery.

"Right here," whispered Markarov, poking at a spot through a small trap door. Now Levi could see it. As her father switched him on, she could see that the gears didn't quite mesh, there was no spark in the place where _Voir's _brain would be.

"I see," Levi whispered, her face right next to her father's, squinting at the almost microscopic piece of metal that was causing such a huge problem.

"Dammit!" Markarov suddenly yelled. Levi jumped, inadvertently kicking _Voir_, shifting the Gatalian meter, causing the gears to mesh, generating a big, bright SPARK!

_Voir's _hand groaned to life. He picked up a pencil and wrote the words _It works._

**Author's Note:**

Please inform me if you think anyone in this is too OOC. It would be a great help!


	3. Utterly Horrified

Chapter 2

Utterly Horrified

Levi's father left for the Magic Council the next morning. He suited up, put _Voir_ in the cart, and set off.

"Bye bye, Papa!" Levi called. "Be safe! Stay warm!" Markarov let out a belt of laughter and waved back at his daughter. Levi sighed and went back into the house to enjoy some alone time with her books. Sadly for her, that alone time would not last very long. Outside, Laxus and Freid made their way up the path to Levi's house.

"I'm going to ask her now, Freid, so I want you to go in there and read her that poem you wrote. Tell her I'm waiting for her out here with," Laxus looked around and plucked a few wild flowers, "a present."

Freid gave him a blank stare and nodded, looking extremely unenthused. He tiptoed up the steps as Laxus retreated back up the path to wait. Freid knocked on the door softly, hoping Levi wouldn't hear so he wouldn't have to read the awful _thing_ Laxus forced him to create. To Freid's despair, she did answer the door.

"Oh," Levi said when she opened the door to see Freid's horrified face. "Hi Freid. What's up?"

Freid clenched his jaw and said, "Hello Levi. May I come in?" Levi, who looked very worried, nodded and stepped back to let him through.

"Um, would you like something to drin—" Freid pressed a finger to Levi's lips, cutting her off midsentence. He then pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his breast pocket.

"Your eyes sparkle like the tankard in my man mitt," Freid began reading, a pained expression spreading across his normally stoic face. "Into my arms your body would fit/ You would only cry/ If my vast power put a tear in your eye/ So come to me/ Levi/ And you will see/ How **powerful**love can be." After finishing, Freid crumpled the paper and threw as far away from himself as possible. He closed his eyes, sighed, and said to Levi's utterly horrified face, "I feel as you do. Laxus is waiting outside." He reached for the doorknob and stopped halfway. "Oh, and he has a…_gift _for you." And with that, Freid opened the door for her.

. . .

Laxus, who was not particularly good with that thing we call patience, began to get bored when Freid didn't get back within two minutes. Consequently, as Levi was hurried out of her house, she was granted with the sight of a grown man chewing on flower petals to see if they tasted good.

"Um…hello?" Laxus jumped and spat out the petals immediately.

"Shit," he whispered as he turned and tossed the flowers down, picking another couple. Levi who had seen all of this shook her head in disbelief.

"Hey Levi," Laxus said, trying to sound nonchalant, as if none of that just happened. "How did you like my poem?"

_It was awful. _"It was awfully surprising, Laxus." Levi gave a small uncomfortable smile that felt more like a grimace as Laxus took a step forward, closing the already uncomfortably close space between them.

"I'm glad you think so," Laxus said, following up with Levi's least favorite cliché, "You'll find I'm full of surprises, Levi." She winced.

"So what did you come here for?" Levi asked hesitantly, not exactly wanting to know the answer.

"I love you Levi!" Laxus exclaimed with no preface. Levi gave him a warning look, which he didn't pick up on. "You are the strongest little munchkin I've ever met!" And he was down on one knee. "Marry me!"

Levi, on the verge of tears, shook her head. Laxus, whose eyes were closed waiting for a kiss, wasn't aware as Levi dashed back into her house. He only snapped out of it when he heard the slam of the door and a scream.

"GET OUT OF MY BATHROOM FREID!"

**Author's Note: **

Feedback PLEASE! I hope you enjoyed it. I know it's a tad short, but I got everything I wanted for this chapter down, so I'm not really worried about it.


	4. It Gets Worse

Chapter 3

It Gets Worse

Markarov was lost.

"We are definitely not lost, Romeo."

Markarov was "definitely not lost" in the middle of the scary woods with his "very brave" horse.

"Definitely not lost," he grumbled, pulling a crumpled, hand-drawn map out of his pocket. After examining it for a minute, Markarov exclaimed, "Ah-ha! I've found us! You see Romeo?" He held up the map in front of the horse's face. "We're right here! Not lost at all." He paused. "Right?" Romeo shook his head. "Don't worry, Romeo. We'll be there soon, if all is right."

Suddenly, a loud HOWL! tore through the woods, petrifying the horse and Markarov alike. After a few minutes of silence, Romeo pushed on hurriedly, immediately followed by another distinctive HOWL! The terrified horse reared up on his hind legs, knocking Markarov to the ground, and cantered off toward the house.

Markarov was getting up from the ground groggily when the sound came again, this time louder. "The wind," he whispered, "It's only the wind." A stick broke in the woods behind him, and Markarov spun around to see nothing but darkness staring back. He was having trouble breathing and knew that if he didn't run now, it would be certain death by whatever was out there hiding in the night. The trouble was, his legs wouldn't move.

"It's a binding spell, right!" Markarov yelled to the trees. "Let me go," he growled. When there was no response but a low rumble, he said firmly, "Let. Me. Go." There was a blinding flash of light, and Markarov was down on the ground, unconscious.

. . .

Laxus was mad. So mad, in fact that he hadn't moved from in front of Levi's house since he'd been turned down. Rejected. Scorned. Refused. Discarded. Disallowed. Vetoed. Laxus punched Freid who had been coming up with synonyms again.

"Feel better?" Freid asked from his place on the ground. Laxus glared at him.

"What the hell were you doing in her bathroom, you ass!" he growled.

"It was nice! She had some good literature! You can't blame a man for wanting to read a woman's bathroom magazines!" Laxus kicked him.

"Pansy," he grumbled. "Get up. I need a beer."

"Of course, of course," Freid mumbled.

"On you."

"On me," he sighed as Laxus stalked off to the pub.

Levi pulled back her blinds as Laxus walked away and slumped t the ground, wiping tears off her face. _What _was _that_? She thought to herself. _How could this day get any worse?_ As if on cue, Romeo came roaring up the path, his hooves click clacking all the way to the door. Levi spun around and opened the window.

"Romeo?" she called to him. "Where's Father?" The horse walked over to Levi and huffed, digging his hooves into the ground. "Where is Papa, Romeo?"

At that precise moment, there was a whirring sound in the cart attached to Romeo's saddle. Levi jumped and, realizing that it was _Voir_, dashed out the front door to the automaton. The transparent man held a sketchbook and a pencil. He had just finished as Levi got to his side.

_Voir _held a picture. It was a picture of Markarov, all alone, unconscious. Levi face was filled with horror.

_It just got worse, Voir _wrote.

**Author's Note:**

O, the drama of it all! How will they get out of this crazy situation? What happened to Markarov? (Wish I knew how to type an interobang…)


	5. Out of the Bushes

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters.

**Chapter 4**

**Out of the Bushes**

Levi hefted _Voir _out of the cart, surprised by the automaton's light weight. She scurried into the house with him and hastily threw him onto the couch. Romeo poked his head through the open window and stomped his foot on the ground, impatient to get back to his master. Levi grabbed her cloak and dashed up to Romeo, pulling him back onto the road.

"Bring me to Father!" she yelled as she leaped up onto Romeo's back. Obeying, Romeo ran towards the woods, remembering every single detail of he and his confused master's journey.

. . .

Markarov was aware, but not quite awake. Or was he awake, but not quite aware? Nothing could be sure. All Markarov knew was the he could hear someone speaking to him softly, saying something along the lines of, "It's better that you don't wake up, sir. The prince is very angry with you at the moment and can be terrifying if he wants to be. Just stay asleep, sir. Please don't wake up."

Markarov thought this an odd request from someone who had very likely brought him wherever he was in the first place. Besides, he could feel something like adrenaline spreading though him, pleading with him to get up and move around. Of course he would obey his own instincts.

"Who's there?" he asked, suddenly taking in all his surroundings. Markarov was in something like a prison cell with straw stacked in the corner, which was, presumably, his bed. The window on the wall above him alerted him to the fact that it was morning.

"Sh! PLEASE!" The voice was there again, coming from the door at edge of the far wall. "Please, sir! At least pretend to be asleep! Pretend!" Markarov ignored it.

"Where am I?" he demanded, apparently too loudly.

"Sir, if you continue to talk so loudly I will be forced to call the prince!"

"Who are you? I demand to see whoever this "prince" is at once!" There was no response. Markarov heard a small clicking noise, probably the person's shoes on the cold stone floors.

"FINALLY! HOW LONG WAS THAT OLD BASTARD GOING TO SNORE!" After a few moments, there was the loud clack of the key turning in the door. Markarov almost fainted at the sight of the man, if you could call him that, who stood in front of him.

He stood almost six and a half feet tall, his eyes blood red and shining with anticipation. The most horrifying thing was this man seemed to be part serpent, his body covered in gruesome silver scales. Markarov couldn't turn away from him.

The man's face fell, his once cruel grin melting into an unamused pout. "How boring," he growled. "Usually they faint or vomit." Markarov opened his mouth. He suddenly felt a wave of pity for the terrifying man who stood over him.

"What are you?" Markarov asked quietly. The man stiffened.

"What?" he snapped, his pointed teeth bared. "What _am _I?" He took slow steps toward Markarov. "Ask me again, asshole," he hissed, grabbing Markarov by the shirt and lifting him into the air. When Markarov stayed silent, the man roared, "ASK ME AGAIN!" The person who had warned him to stay sleeping whimpered.

And there was darkness.

. . .

Romeo had never run so fast in his life. Levi was stroking his mane as she rode, anxious to go even faster. She could feel cold tears streaking her face as morning came, though it was hard to tell through the trees.

Romeo stopped abruptly in the middle of the path, and Levi slid off. She had been expecting to find her father right there in the woods, but somehow he had disappeared. She took a few more steps and then…couldn't. She was stuck!

Levi looked down. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary except for a slight shimmering at her feet. Romeo huffed, not knowing that Levi couldn't budge an inch. He wanted to walk around, search the area.

"Romeo?" Levi called, hearing the horse walk off. "Help!" she squeaked, but the horse couldn't hear her. She was scared stiff. It was dark in this part of the woods. The trees overhead made it impossible to see any traces of the sunlight that Levi knew should be filtering in right about now. The fact that all of the plants around her seemed to be dead, including the trees, did not help Levi's nerves.

"You're much quieter than that old geezer." Levi's eyes widened. She was too scared to scream. "He wanted me to let him go, but it wouldn't be manly to go against my master's orders. A real man stands up for what the prince thinks is right!"

There was a rustling in the bushes in front of her. Levi's breathing was ragged as she waited for the terrible suspense to end. Suddenly, the rustling stopped. Out of the bushes popped…

A bookcase?

**Author's Note **Sorry it took so long for the update! I hope you will continue reading and loving it. Any kind of review would be appreciated (even if you hate it completely)!


	6. Drinking Problem

Chapter 5

Drinking Problem

"The world's wrong, Freid. Nothing makes any sense, I mean, I'm hot, right?" Laxus slurred.

"Of course you are Laxus."

"I'M A SEXY BASTARD! What girl wouldn't wanna tap this?"

"It's utterly impossible Laxus. How could she?" Fried was humoring an extremely drunk and emotional Laxus at the village's most famous pub, the Warty Shrew.

"HOW COULD SHE?" Laxus repeated.

"Perhaps she just needs time to process your confession." Freid really doubted it.

"That's probably it," Laxus mutter into his tankard. "She was just too surprised to understand my words. Heh. Women." His head sank until it hit the table with a loud THUMP!

"Laxus?" Freid nudged him with his bottle. "Are you conscious?" Laxus turned his head to glare at the green haired man. He nodded.

"What should I do? Should I wait? What should I do? What should I do?" It seemed that Laxus was sinking into a state of deeper depression.

"Oi! Mister!" A barmaid was calling out to Freid. "What's wrong with your friend?"

"He's a little bit drunk and depressed."

"Well, he's looking greener than your mop. Make sure he doesn't hurl all over my bar or you're cleaning it up." Freid nodded and sighed. Laxus snored, having fallen asleep during their exchange. Freid shook his head and lifted the man up onto his shoulder.

"You smell nice Freid," Laxus mumbled.

"I know."

. . .

Levi relaxed noticeably. The bookcase was less than frightening. In fact, it was comical. In the first shelf was a pair of floating eyes, and below them, something of a mouth.

"Damn it all," the bookcase grumbled. "Ever since I got turned into this thing I haven't been able to intimidate anyone. Not even a little girl. That's not manly at all."

"How surreal," Levi whispered. "You're…you're talking. Right now, you're talking to me. How is that even possible?" Levi tried to move towards it, but her feet still wouldn't budge. She suddenly realized the danger of her situation. Although the impossibility in front of her was entertaining in a way, it was still holding her there and could, quite possibly, do anything it wanted to her.

"What do you want with me?" Levi asked softly. The bookcase laughed.

"It's nothing like that! You're just on the master's land, is all!" It crept closer, corner by corner. "I'll have to bring you up." Levi's eyes widened. What was this creature talking about?

"Where is my father?" she asked quietly. "What have you done with him?" It looked offended.

"Nothing! I just brought him to the prince!" It huffed. "You know, you're being a bit difficult. Maybe I'll have to knock you out anyway? Ah, shit. I didn't wanna do this!"

. . .

The scaled man was sitting in a high-backed armchair in front of a fireplace grumbling to himself. His servant, a coat hanger, was there hovering over his shoulder.

"Bring me more beer," he muttered. The coat hanger nodded and stumbled to hook onto the empty flask in its master's hand. The man sighed and helped it with its task, kicking the hanger until it left. He glanced over at the old man he'd attacked earlier. He was crumpled in the corner, unconscious.

"You should've just screamed, old man. It would've made it a lot easier for me and you." The man ran a scaly hand through his matted mane. "I would've told you to tell me why the hell you were trespassing. You would've fainted. I would've kicked you out. Now I don't know what I'm supposed to do with you. You looked like you pitied me. That should be reason enough to kill you right?"

"Um…Prince Gazille?" It was the servant back with the beer.

"What?" He turned. "Bring that here." The coat hanger shuffled over to him and clumsily tilted so that the cup wouldn't spill. Gazille took it and nodded, signaling that it was time for it to go. When the servant didn't leave, he glared at it.

"Well, sir. Elfman has brought back another—"

"WHAT? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? IS THIS ONE PASSED OUT TOO?"

"…Yes."

Gazille growled in frustration and marched out of the room, stomping down the stairs and into the entranceway where he found the bookcase and…a girl? A beautiful girl?

"W-Who is it?" Gazille asked, startled.

"It's that guy's daughter! Can you believe that she actually went looking for him? Very manly!"

"Shut up! Just…just bring her to the dungeon." The bookcase nodded.


	7. The Expected Reaction

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fairy Tail! (or Beauty and the Beast in case I should disclaim that too).

(This one's a bit…dramatic? Just a warning.)

Chapter 6

The Expected Reaction

Levi awoke in a dark, musty cellar. She rubbed her eyes of sleep and squinted, trying to remember how she'd gotten there. All at once, it came back. _Voir's _drawing, her and Romeo's search, the spell that stuck her to the ground, and the impossible bookcase swirled in her head, making Levi exceedingly dizzy. She put a hand to her mouth, suddenly feeling very sick. In the corner of her consciousness, Levi could hear someone talking.

"Yes sir, she should be waking soon. You can talk to her after she eats something." Levi turned her head, slowly taking in her surroundings. She could hear sounds coming from the other side of a large rotting wooden door. There was a swift clack of the lock turning, and it swung open. Light swam into the room, and Levi shielded her eyes.

"Oh! You're awake! Well, Miss, I've brought you some soup and a glass of warm milk." Levi stayed completely still as she heard squeaking wheels rolling toward her. She shut her eyes and tried to pretend that it was all a dream. It didn't work. There was a soft screech as the wheels stopped turning followed by two loud clangs against the stone floor. An ornate tray was pushed against Levi's toes.

"Please try to eat something Miss!" Levi looked up to see that the person trying to feed her was, in fact, a kettle. She winced and shook her head, feeling bile rising in the back of her throat. _This is not happening,_ Levi thought. _Household objects have not kidnapped me. _

"Is she done yet?" someone yelled from the room beyond the door.

"Just a moment Prince!" the kettle yelled back. Levi glanced up at it, disgusted. The kettle sighed, looking weary. "Aren't you going to eat? Aren't you hungry?" it asked. Levi turned away.

"Let me talk to him," she whispered. The kettle was startled.

"Wh-What was that?"

"Let. Me. Talk. To. Him," Levi growled, glaring at the far wall. The kettle hopped back, and considered the girl in front of her for a moment.

"All right," it said. "I'll be right outside, Miss. My name is Mirajane, if you need anything." It turned to face the door. "Prince! You can come in now!"

"FINALLY! She's almost as bad as that old bastard she calls father!" Heavy footsteps came toward the door, and what appeared before her was the last thing Levi expected to see. The thing was so unexpected that the nausea that had been threatening overcame her, and she vomited all over the stone floor.

"Now that's a reaction," the thingsaid as it sauntered over to Levi. Levi gritted her teeth and wiped her mouth, feeling incredibly lightheaded. She turned her face up to look directly at the monster in front of her and glared. It laughed insanely, its cold red eyes glued on her.

"Well!" it shouted. "Aren't you a brave one? Father taught you right, I guess, the bastard."

"Where is he?" Levi growled. The beast's eyes widened a little, and surprise took over its face.

"Didn't think a little girl like you could make that kind of noise," it muttered and cleared its throat. "Your old man is safe, little girl. For now, that is." It grinned, baring dangerously pointed teeth.

"He better be," Levi said, rising with newfound bravery. "And I am _not _a little girl. I'm seventeen years old." The thing laughed again. Levi shuddered. Its laugh was like the blade of a knife: cold and unforgiving.

"For all you know, I'm hundreds of years old, _little girl_," the thing said, getting uncomfortably close to Levi. So close that Levi could feel the warmth radiating off of its scaled skin. For everything that was so cold about this monster, its body was incredibly warm. "Besides," it continued, leaning down so it could be at eye level with Levi. "I'm the one who's holding you hostage. Shouldn't you try to be a little nicer to me?"

"At least you admit it," Levi hissed, turning away from it. The beast rolled its eyes and stood up straight. It sighed, letting out such a gust that Levi's hair rushed back in blue curls away from her face.

"Come with me," the monster sighed again, taking hold of Levi's thin wrist. He pulled her out of the dark room and up a stairwell. "CLEAN UP THAT BARF, MIRA!" it called back down the stairs. Levi heard the kettle clang away as she struggled futilely against the beast's cruel grip.

At the top of the stairs was a small cozy room with a large stone fireplace, a high backed chair, and ornate rugs spread haphazardly around the room. The beast pushed Levi into it, and gestured broadly.

"Welcome to my little corner of sanity," it laughed. Levi gulped and looked around, focusing on a pile of dirty cloth in the corner nearest the fireplace. Her eyes widened impossibly.

"FATHER!" She dashed to the old man. The beast behind her crossed his arms. "FATHER! WAKE UP! FATHER PLEASE!"

"Step aside, little girl," the beast sighed, pushing Levi away with the toe of its large black boot. She gasped shakily as it pulled Markarov up by the collar and bashed its head against his. Markarov blinked to life, a thin steam of blood flowing steadily down his forehead and into his mustache.

"Hello," the beast grinned. Markarov paniced at the sight of the monster in front of him.

"LET GO OF HIM!" Levi screamed, scratching helplessly at the beast's arm. "LET GO!" It frowned and complied. She took hold of her father and hugged him tightly as if the beast would try to attack him again.

"Ruining all of the fun. All right," it said softly. "Now everyone needs to calm down. We need to have an important discussion," it said in mock earnestly.

"I don't want to discuss anything with a monster like you," Levi spat. The beast glared at her in disdain.

"That's really offensive. Who gave you the right to call me a monster? I have a name, you know. That's not the point!" It sighed. "Anyway, you'll have to hear me out, little girl, whether you want to or not."

"And why is that?"

"Because one of you is going to have to stay here."

"WHAT?"

**Author's Note:**

Hey there! It's been a while. Okay, it's been a really long time since I've updated. I get this thing called chronic writer's block. I'm sure you understand. Besides, there were…distractions…*cough* K-pop, Korean dramas, Food, etc. *cough*.

Anyway, Gazille sounds pretty intelligent to me at this point in the story. That's because he's a prince, so I wanted him to sound a bit more royal? If that worked out at all? Forget it.


	8. A Simple Excuse

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 7

A Simple Excuse

_Last time…_

"_Now everyone needs to calm down. We need to have an important discussion," it said in mock earnestly. _

"_I don't want to discuss anything with a monster like you," Levi spat. The beast glared at her in disdain._

"_That's really offensive. Who gave you the right to call me a monster? I have a name, you know. That's not the point!" It sighed. "Anyway, you'll have to hear me out, little girl, whether you want to or not."_

"_And why is that?"_

"_Because one of you is going to have to stay here."_

"_WHAT?"_

Levi stared at the beast in front of her in shock.

"What do you mean one of us has to stay here?" she asked apprehensively. "WHY? Are you kidnapping us for ransom? What are you going to do to us if we stay?"

"WOULD YOU SHUT UP FOR A MINUTE?" it yelled. "Jesus…I swear you are the most irritating thing," it sighed, rubbing its temples. "It's not that I'm kidnapping you or anything. I would much prefer not to see either of you little shits ever again. There's a curse on this castle. Every time more that one person enters, someone must stay. That's just the way it works!"

Levi bit her lip and was about to say something when her father interrupted.

"I'll stay. You go, Levi." Levi opened her mouth in shock.

"No! Father please!"

"Levi, I'm old. You could go and live a comfortable life in the village. Take care of Romeo and Voir." The beast sighed.

"There's a catch to the curse, you two. The person who stays has to be the youngest. So I guess you're out pops." It grabbed Markarov by the back of his collar and dragged him down the hall, Levi screaming for him to stop.

"Levi!" Markarov screamed as he was pushed out of the door.

"Father! Wait!" The beast slammed the door in the old man's face. Levi began to cry.

"God dammit," the beast grumbled, leaning on the wall behind him. Levi turned toward him.

"I didn't even get to say goodbye," she said, lip quivering. "What kind of monster doesn't even let a father say goodbye to his daughter?" It sighed and looked down at the girl in front of it. She was really going to be a handful.

"The name's Gazille. Now stop calling me a monster would you?" it said. "It hurts me," it pouted sarcastically. "Right here." It put a fist over its chest.

Levi studied him, disgusted. The thing really did have some man-like qualities. Despite their color, its eyes were deep and expressed emotion. It had a sort of human-like shape to it: two arms, two legs, a head, a torso, but other than that it was otherworldly. The scales that covered it overlapped haphazardly at its joints, forming dangerous-looking growths. It had barely any nose and a pair of fangs that protruded slightly over its lower lip. When it talked, one could see its slimy black tongue and rows upon rows of sharp teeth. Levi shuddered and looked away.

Gazille sighed, took Levi by the wrist, and dragged her through the building to a new hallway. Levi was too tired to retaliate. She'd had enough of this. Things were going to change tomorrow.

"This is your new room," Gazille said, flinging her into the cozy space. Levi stood in the center and didn't move. Just as he was about to leave, she stomped her foot.

"Oi. Monster. Be prepared," she said threateningly. Gazille snickered and closed the door.

In the hall, he was surprised by Mirajane.

"Prince. Why did you tell them that there was a curse? Is there really?" she asked.

"Just an excuse," he grumbled.

"An excuse? I see." She smiled. Gazille mumbled something about needing some fresh air and stalked off.

**Author's Note:**

Yeah, Gazille is the king of all butts. But we love him anyway, right?

I am so grateful for all of the positive reviews that I've been getting, especially the constructive criticism. It makes me want to update much more, which is what I'm going to be trying to do. No more month long breaks! If that happens, I'll slap myself! **pinky promise. **

I honestly just needed to get this chapter out of the way. It's kind of short, but I went over it about ten times and figured it was fine. The real fun begins next chapter. See you then!


	9. Breakfast Time

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fairy Tail

Chapter 8

Breakfast Time

The dream began with Levi's bedroom door leading directly to a steep staircase, the end of which came with a long hall with large, hazy portraits lining either side. She would walk down that winding hall for what seemed like hours, until she could see a faint red light at the end. There Levi would stop and stare at that light, not moving an inch.

"Miss…Madam…Wake…WAKE UP MADAM!" Levi woke with a start, thinking that she was still in her cottage back home. She yawned lazily and patted down her hair, all without opening her eyes.

"Ah! Good. Now that you're awake, we can pick out some clothes for you before breakfast." That was odd. Who was this lady in her house? Levi opened her eyes slowly, rubbing away the sleep, to see that she was in an enormous bed with a luxurious white canopy. On the other side of the room were a wardrobe and a full-length mirror, which she promptly ignored, searching for the source of the voice.

"I think you would look exquisite in the pink sundress!" There was that voice again. Where was it coming from?

"Where are you? Where am I?" Levi asked hazily.

"Oh dear. It seems you're still half asleep, madam. I'm over here. The wardrobe." Levi's head whipped around to face it, finally noticing the floating eyes and line of a mouth. She sighed as she remembered last night's events, feeling slight anger welling up inside her. Household objects had kidnapped her.

"I'd rather just stay in these clothes, thank you very much," Levi said gruffly. The wardrobe's eyes widened in surprise.

"But the prince insists—"

"Yeah, well he can insist however much he wants," Levi sighed, getting annoyed. "These are my clothes and I would prefer to wear them, _thank you_," Levi said with finality.

The wardrobe huffed, clearly offended, and said, "Very well then. I can't _force _you to wear something different in this form. I will tell you this, though, madam. You smell." Levi blushed and sniffed her dress. The thing was right. She smelled like old dirt and must. It was gut wrenching.

"Fine," she grumbled. The wardrobe's mouth formed a small smirk as its door opened swiftly to reveal a small pink sundress with white bows lining the waist.

Levi got up and unhooked it. "What is your name?" she asked the wardrobe.

With a hint of surprise, it replied, "Erza." Levi nodded.

"I'm Levi," she responded. "Treat me well, Erza."

. . .

In the hallway outside Levi's door, Gazille was pacing back and forth, hastily followed by a gaggle of servants in the form of a candlestick, a feather duster, a clock, a teacup, and a kettle.

"Prince Gazille?" the kettle, Mirajane, called out to him. "What are you doing?"

"Yeah!" said the candlestick. "Why the hell do we keep walking around like this? You gotta pee or something?"

"Natsu," the teacup hissed softly. "You shouldn't talk like that to the master!"

"Yeah, Wendy's right! Are you an idiot?" yelled the clock.

"Shut up, Grey! You were thinking the same thing, you damn frosty!"

"Hot head!"

"Bastard face!"

"What the hell does that mean, you illiterate bitch!"

"Here they go again," sighed the feather duster. Gazille growled softly and roared at them, causing Wendy to spill a little tea.

"NOW LOOK WHAT YOU DID!" Natsu yelled. "Wendy, it's okay. That guy won't hurt you."

"Would you just SHUT UP!" Gazille yelled. "I swear you guys are so _irritating_. Mira," he said, rubbing his temples, "Go see if she's ready for breakfast."

Mirajane, who was consoling Wendy, sighed and nodded awkwardly.

"Lucy, take over for me." The feather duster hopped over, leaving Grey and Natsu grumbling about each other and Gazille.

Mira pushed the door open a crack and called, "Miss! Are you ready for breakfast?" Levi let out an audible sigh, and poked her head out to see the entourage standing outside. She pursed her lips and slammed the door in their faces.

"GO AWAY!" she yelled. Gazille gave an incredulous face and gasped pointing at the place where Levi's head had been. Grey and Natsu laughed heartily at this while Lucy tried to suppress a giggle. Gazille glared at them, and banged on the door.

"GET OUT HERE!" he roared.

"NO!" Levi screamed back.

"Prince," Wendy called softly just as he looked as if he were about to break the door down. "Why don't you try asking nicely?" Natsu laughed.

"Oh yeah! I'd like to see that! Go ahead, _prince, _ask like a little gentleman!" Gazille snorted and kicked Natsu down the stairs.

"Miss," he growled through clenched teeth. "It would give me_ great_ _pleasure _if you would join me for breakfast."

"I REFUSE!" Levi yelled. Gazille roared in frustration.

"FINE! THEN NEVER COME OUT!" He turned to the group behind him and gestured to the door, then to himself. "If she doesn't eat with me, she doesn't eat _at all_."

Mirajane sighed as they watched their master stomp down the stairs, kicking Natsu again as he made his way up.

"Grey," she said. "Go get a bowl of porridge."

"On it!"

**Author's Note: **Yeah. I like humor way more than that dramatic stuff. In the next chapter, look forward to the village and little more Laxus and Freid!

Thanks again for all the reviews I got on the last chapter! You guys make me feel loved :)


	10. Magic Mirror, Show Me

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fairy Tail.

**Warning: **Acopious amount of cussing is used in this chapter.

Chapter 9

Magic Mirror, Show me…

Gazille stalked up to his quarters after his row with that surprisingly hotheaded girl he'd taken in. His bedroom was messy simply because his servants were forbidden from entering there, and he didn't have the energy or motivation to clean it himself. Sometimes it was a hassle to wade his way through the piles of laundry, broken dishes, and artifacts of his old life, but he dealt with it. It would just get dirty again anyway.

He sighed as he pulled off his sheer white shirt and threw it on the ground beside all of the others. The bed looked very comfortable, but he couldn't go straight back to sleep. Gazille sighed again and went over to his desk where he picked up a small, ornate hand mirror and stared into it intently.

"You're acting like an angsty teenager." Gazille jumped and groaned.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to you just being there all the fucking time," he grumbled to the painting on the wall. It was a portrait of a muscular black cat with a scar over one of its eyes that was talking and moving about freely within the confines of its frame.

"Yes well, there's nothing I can do about that, now is there," it said with a hint of frustration. Gazille flared his nostrils and placed the mirror on the sill of his open window.

After a few moments of silence the cat said, "I heard you fighting with that girl from all the way up here. Did you kick Natsu down the stairs again?" Gazille clenched his teeth.

"Yes," he growled. "But he sure as hell deserved it this time."  
>"I'm sure he did," the cat sighed. "Why did you decide to have her stay here? Is it because of that curse?"<p>

Gazille looked over to the rose on a stand next to his desk. It was nearly out of petals.

"Of course," he said absently.

"Based off of what I heard," the cat said, "I don't know how the hell you think you're going to make that girl fall in love with you." Gazille turned to glare at the outside world and gripped the windowsill. "Actually," it continued, "How the hell are you gonna fall in love with her?"

Gazille huffed irritably. "I don't know," he mumbled.

"Well, you better figure that out soon or we're going to be in a heap of trouble." Gazille's grip tightened. "I mean, I know being a painting might sound really cool at first, but then you realize that you can't eat or go anywhere or smell anything but a load of oil paints. And you! Do you want to look like that forever?"

Gazille let loose a wild gesture. "Of course I don't!" he yelled. "But I don't know what the hell I'm doing!"

Then he heard a thump of something hitting the ground, a soft noise only audible if you listened hard enough. He looked down at the spot where the mirror had just been.

"Oh SHIT!" Gazille yelled.

"What?" the cat asked, startled.

"I DROPPED MY GOD DAMN MIRROR!" Gazille bolted out the door and down the steps in a matter of minutes. _Why is this castle so big?_ he thought to himself as he approached the door. He shot outside and skidded on the dirt, then dashed to the place below his window.

Where was it? Where the hell could a mirror run off to? _It's a mirror, for Christ's sake! _Panicking, Gazille could see no other option but to dig hopelessly in the dirt for an hour before coming up from the crater he'd created and giving up resentfully.

_Where the hell could a fucking mirror run off to?_

. . .

Markarov was jolted awake by something hitting the top of his balding head. He had slept outside the monster's castle, too depressed to make his way back home. He rubbed the bump that was already forming and looked down at his side where the object had landed.

"A mirror?" he muttered to himself. Picking it up, Markarov could only see about a quarter of his aged face in the tiny thing. He traced his fingers over the pattern of roses and castles carved into it. Levi would have liked something like this.

"Oh SHIT!"

Markarov jumped at the terribly familiar voice. He looked up hastily to see a flash of silver and red, and got up as quickly as he could, running for the gate with the mirror still in hand.

. . .

The Warty Shrew was packed with guys that night, and for good reason. Laxus was holding a meeting of the men, or as he liked to call it, "Bro Time". Laxus sat in a large chair in front of about three dozen guys, the crowd including Jet, Droy, and, of course, Fried.

"Now, I know you're wondering why I called you all here," Laxus said, flashing a toothy grin. Jet rolled his eyes and Fried sighed. "Well, the answer to that would be to answer a small question that's been bothering me lately." Laxus puffed out his cheeks and slung his legs over an armrest. "What did I ever do to Levi that made her hate me so much?" Jet scoffed loudly and Droy elbowed his arm.

"Are you kidding me?" Jet sighed angrily. "This entire meeting of the towns men is a therapy session for you? What's next Laxus? Are you gonna call us all here to braid each others' hair and tell scary stories?" He laughed softly to himself and shook his head. "Listen, Laxus, Levi doesn't like you because you're an ass hole. End of the goddamn story. Why don't you just take a hint and _leave her alone_." Jet glared menacingly at the man in front of him, and Laxus grinned.

"Oh," he chuckled, "I see. Jet, the little bookkeeper, has a thing for my sweat heart! How cute!" He laughed mirthfully, and a few of the men chuckled along awkwardly. Jet blushed.

"So what if I do? She doesn't _belong _to you Laxus."

"Wow! This just keeps better and better. '_She doesn't _belong_ to you Laxus._'" Laxus mimicked Jet. "Don't you know how all of this works, little Jet? If I want something, I get it. And _that's _the end of the goddamn story, my friend. So I think maybe _you _should back off and help me before I break your fucking balls. Okay?"

Jet set his jaw, took a deep breath, and turned away. Laxus grinned. "Very good. I like you much better when you don't talk, little book keeper."

. . .

Markarov ran all the way home and was completely out of breath when he reached the front door. He braced himself on the wall and calmed down a bit before he went inside to see _Voir_ lying on the floor.

Markarov glared down at the infernal contraption. It had been the start of all this. _It was the reason his Levi was now trapped in a castle for the rest of her life. _Large tears made their way down Markarov's face. The old man sank down to the floor next to his invention.

"I didn't even get to say goodbye," he cried softly. "I just want to see her one more time."

He felt a small vibration in his hand and wiped away some tears, looking down to see the small mirror he was still holding shimmering slightly He took a shaking breath and held it up in front of his face. There was a faint image of something in the frame.

"Show me Levi," he whispered. "Show me my daughter!" Suddenly, the picture cleared. He could see Levi sitting in a large bedroom, surrounded by odd things, such as a kettle and a clock. Markarov's breath quickened and he kneeled, now holding the mirror tightly in both hands.

"LEVI!" he shouted. "I'LL GET YOU BACK! I SWEAR I'LL GET YOU BACK!" The image did not change, and Markarov cried again.

_Voir _shifted on the ground next to him, his hinged mouth squeaking open and shut. Markarov glared over at it through his tears.

"_The mirror is the key_," it said through the grinds and sparks of its body as it stood. Markarov's eyes widened.

"How can you speak?" he asked. "I-I never-"

"_Learning_," it groaned. "_I am learning. The mirror is the key_," _Voir _repeated. Slowly but surely, it lifted its hand and pointed to its chest. "_The mirror is the key_." Then, the automaton collapsed, leaving Markarov to ponder its riddle and to realize the answer.

**Author's Note: **Hope you liked this chapter! This story is getting interesting, right? I think so anyway. Next time we'll get some fluffy-ness probably.

Until then, thank you so much for all the wonderful reviews you've been leaving! You know, if you want you could leave some more ;D. Thanks!


	11. Prince Charming?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 10

Prince Charming?

Levi scarfed down the porridge that the clock, Gray, brought her. When she had refused to eat with that monster, she hadn't realized how hungry she was! Mirajane had made it all the more appealing by adding some cinnamon and giving her fruit on the side, a rare treat back home.

"So," said the candlestick, Natsu, searching for conversation. "How's the food?" he asked finally. Levi gulped down a big spoonful.

"Great!" she proclaimed, giving him a big grin. He nodded.

"Good, good." Levi paused to chew on an apple and narrowed her eyes at him. "What is it?"

"It's just," she said, "It's really odd to be having a conversation with a candlestick. Why don't any of mine at home talk? Are they just keeping quiet? Do you have a curse on you? Did a mage make you?"

"Wow, you're just full of questions aren't ya, miss?" he laughed.

"I'm just curious," she stated seriously.

"So am I," said the feather duster, Lucy. "Why was your father in our forest in the first place?"

"_Your _forest? Last I checked this forest didn't belong to anyone. Nobody even knows you're out here!"

"Well, we apologize for not advertising, miss," Lucy said sarcastically. "It's just we didn't want people swarming to stare at this _pack of freaks_." Levi apologized. "Oh, no need to be sorry, miss. It's not like that'll change anything."

"It might," Gray mumbled.

"As if, Gray! You really think this _little girl _can help us?"

"Hey! Luce, it ain't her fault we're like this," Natsu sighed. "Just calm down." Lucy nodded, looking embarrassed.

"So…you weren't always like this?" Levi asked softly.

"You've all said too much," Mirajane noted sternly. "Head off now." Natsu, Gray, and Lucy filed out of the room. "You too, Wendy."  
>"But—"<p>

"Go." Wendy sighed and trudged out. She was just a child, Levi realized sadly.

"Now," Mirajane hopped over to Levi and tapped the tray. It floated up and started following her away. "Why don't you get cleaned up and meet me downstairs. We have something fun planned for today!" Levi nodded and wiped away some orange juice from her face.

"Look at you," sighed Erza. "You've already soiled that dress. Don't worry! I have another that will suit you nicely."

. . .

"Mira. There is no way in hell that I'm gonna put that thing on." Gazille was referring to a frilly pink apron that his servant had laid out for him in the kitchen. Mirajane gave him a small, terrifying smile.

"I know of your plans to woo the girl, master," she said. "And part of getting a girl to like you is being able to make her laugh. So put it on, would you?"

"So you admit it's just a tool to make me look ridiculous!" Gazille pointed an accusing finger at the kettle. A dark aura surrounded her, and her smile widened.

"Apron. Now please." Gazille scowled.

"Fine." He put it over his head and just as he was tying it around his waist, Levi, who was now wearing a simple white dress, was ushered in by Gray and Natsu. She took one look at the beast in front of her and covered her mouth with her hand, stifling a laugh.

Gazille growled and flared his nostrils, getting ready to lash out, but Mirajane cleared her throat and gave him a stern look. He let out an irritated sigh and blew some of his black mane out of his face.

"That's a…good look for you," Levi commented, shaking with laughter.

"Shut up, twerp," Gazille growled under his breath. Levi scowled and rolled her eyes.

"Now, now," Mirajane laughed. "Erza and I have planned a few fun things for us to do to welcome Levi into our home." She smiled at the pair in front of her. "First, you two will be making lunch for the house."

"What?" Gazille interrupted. "What happened to Makao and Wakaba?"

"They're a little…under the weather." Gazille frowned. Mirajane laughed. "Well, first on the menu is a salad. Then roasted chicken and potatoes. Also green beans. Finally, for desert, a sour cream pound cake!" Levi opened her mouth to protest, but Mirajane interrupted. "You'll find all of the recipes on the counter. Miss Levi, there's an apron set out for you over there as well. I trust this will all be ready by…no later than noon?" She grinned and hopped out of the room, leaving the two of them to their business.

Gray and Natsu, who were listening in outside, frowned as Mirajane came towards them. She winked at them and tilted her lid as a gesture for them to follow her.

"I don't get it," Natsu said as soon as they were far enough away.

"You wouldn't," Gray sneared. Natsu slapped him on the back of the head.

"You don't either!" he growled.

"That's enough you two," Mirajane said as she came to a stop and turned towards them. "Erza and I decided that it would be a good idea for the two of them to have a little alone time in a less hostile environment."

"Such as the kitchen?" Gray scoffed. "There're knives and stuff in there!" Mirajane blinked.

"I didn't think of that." Natsu and Gray's chins hit the floor. "We'd better keep an eye on them."

"YOU THINK?"

. . .

Back in the kitchen, Levi put on her apron and got to work washing the lettuce and tomatoes for the salad. Gazille just stared at her.

"Well," she prompted him. He shook his head, confused. She sighed. "Why don't you prep the chicken?" she asked. He lifted an eyebrow at her. "Or maybe you could snap the beans?" He tilted his head to the side, mouth slightly open. "Are you kidding right now? You don't know how to do any of this stuff?" Gazille flaired his nostrils and growled.

"Excuse me if I never learned any of this bull. I am a prince, you know."

"That's right. Pardon my rudeness, your royal majesty," Levi sang with a grand bow. "I should not have spoken out against you."

"Shut up. Just tell me how to do this shit." Levi sighed and cleared her throat.

"All right, but you have to do _whatever I say. _No complaints." Gazille nodded.

Levi commenced to teach this ghastly prince how to cook baked rosemary chicken with lemon, green beans with cracked black pepper, and a sour cream pound cake with a hot sugar drizzle. All the while, she would throw in unneccesary flour tosses, ballet turns, and such games as "The Floor is Lava" to entertain herself, all of which Gazille did without complaint, as promised. Levi made the salad at the end.

Mirajane, Natsu, Gray, Lucy, and even Wendy watched from the doorway.


	12. A Romantic Evening? Pt 1

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 11

A Romantic Evening?

Part 1

Mirajane hopped into the kitchen to find her master standing on his head. Levi was laughing uncontrollably as he fell flat on his butt.

"I'm sorry to interrupt this adorable scene, Prince," she said with a sly grin. He blushed, or he would have if he weren't cold blooded. He glared at his servant, who laughed, "Really, I am, but we are all getting hungry. Are you done with lunch?"

Levi smiled. "Yep! Here's the salad." She slid a tray with a bowl full of mixed vegetables to the kettle, who tapped it to make it float.

"Thank you, miss. Why don't you two eat in here? You know, away from all our talk of castle maintenance, etcetera," Mirajane suggested. Levi looked over to the Prince and shrugged.

"Why not?" she smiled. Gazille, who was about to protest, saw the sneaky look in Mira's eyes and stopped himself. He sighed and nodded.

"I'll leave you to it then!" The kettle twitched her spout, and the rest of the food followed her. She grinned and winked, sending two servings of each course floating back on two large plates.

Levi thanked her and struggled to get back up on her perch on the counter. Gazille rolled his eyes and picked her up by the waist with no effort. Levi squeaked. The Prince bit back a laugh when he saw the scrunched up face the girl was making when he set her down.

"I didn't need your help," she grumbled, taking a small bite of salad. "Anyway, why are your counters so tall? None of your servants would be able to reach it." Gazille stabbed his chicken with his fork and gestured to a tiny pulley system and flight of stairs at the end of the counter with his knife. Levi shook her head at it in disbelief. _Of course, _she thought.

"Most of them can also do that floating magic Mira just used anyway," he said through a gigantic bite of meat. Levi pursed her lips and nodded.

After a few minutes of silence, Levi asked, "So, what should I call you?"

"What?" Gazille coughed a little, having not expected this sudden question.

"Prince? What? What do I call you?"

"Gazille is fine," he muttered. Levi nodded.

"Okay. Gazille. Why are you being so nice to me?" she asked, picking at her food.

"This cake is really good!" he said, avoiding the question. "I'm gonna get another piece. Want one?"

"No thanks," she said, giving him an odd look. "But I would like an answer to my question. Yesterday you had me in a dungeon and were treating me very rudely. What happened?" Gazille scratched the back of his head uncomfortably. "Does it have something to do with your servants being forks and stuff and your…appearance?" she asked softly. Gazille gave a forced laugh.

"What are you talking about? That's got nothing to do with this."

"Then why am I here?" Levi looked Gazille up and down. "Hm? Why are you keeping me here?"

Just then, Mirajane burst into the room. "Finished yet?" she asked. "I'd like to clean up in here, if you don't mind." Gazille shot her a glace, silently thanking her for coming in when she did.

"Not at all," Levi sighed, hopping off the counter.

"We'll be getting out of your way then, Mira," he said with a nod. Mirajane smiled and jerked her head toward the window. He grabbed Levi's hand and pulled her hurriedly out into the hall behind him.

"What's your problem?" Levi said, trying to pull her hand out of his grasp. He shook his head and didn't let go until they were outside. It was snowing. Levi stared out at the pale landscape in awe. Of course she had seen snow before, but it was always turned gray by the ash and smoke from fires. She wondered how Gazille managed to keep his castle so warm without a huge fire of his own. _Some sort of magic no doubt, _she thought.

Suddenly, something hit her in the back of the head, cold and hard. She gasped and shivered, putting hands to the back of her neck. Spinning around, she saw Gazille feigning innocence, another snowball resting in his hands behind his back.

Levi laughed maliciously and scooped up some snow, packing it together hard. She reeled back, aiming her shot straight for the Prince's head, when _SMACK. _Another snowball hit her square in the face. Levi fell backward and screamed, "HEY!" Gazille laughed.

"The look on your face!" He was crying. "It's _priceless_!" Levi glared at him and scraped together two gigantic handfuls. She let out a loud battle cry, disturbing Gazille out of his hysteria, and then he was the one with a face full of the cold, wet snow.

. . .

Up in the tower, Pantherlily, whose painting had been moved to make him able to see out the window, looked out onto this scene. He grinned.

"Keep it up, man," he said. He glanced over to the rose on Gazille desk, which was clinging to two dry petals. "For all of our sakes."

**Author's Note: **Hi guys…*bows apologetically* I am so sorry, O richest of readers, for my absence and for the lack of substance to this chapter. (I'm reading Castle in the Air by Diana Wynne Jones. Read it and you'll understand what I did there). Anyway I really am sorry for how long I've left you. I've been reading a couple other GaLe fanfics that I thought were way better than mine and were over 2000 words per chapter. It got me all depressed and made me not want to write. Also I had writers block. And school. These excuses make me sound really lame.

So, I'm thinking about EVENTUALLY redoing this entire fic. EVENTUALLY. After I COMPLETELY finish it, I will go back to every single chapter and fix it bit by bit.

Anyways, look forward to more from me, and because I promised to do this **slaps self in the face**. I actually did that in real life. Wow.


	13. A Romantic Evening? Pt 2

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 12

A Romantic Evening?

Part 2

Levi hid behind a large tree. She had the high ground, an advantage in the frostbitten landscape. A large pile of snowballs was stacked neatly next to her. She was ready for battle. With a few bracing breaths, Levi chanced a quick look around the trunk.

"Boo." She squeaked, suddenly face-to-face with Gazille, his nose only a centimeter from hers. He laughed loudly as Levi fell backwards onto the ground. The girl giggled and started making snow angels. He frowned and kicked her foot softly.

"Get up, shorty, you'll catch a cold," he grumbled. Levi beamed.

"What, are you worried about me?" She grabbed a snowball from behind her and flung it at his chest.

"Just get up," Gazille grumbled, holding out his gloved hand to help her. She ignored it, pushed herself up, and shivered, only just now realizing that she wasn't wearing a coat.

"Why don't we go back inside? It's freezing!"

"Told you." Gazille frowned even more, if possible, as they walked back. Levi small frame was shaking violently despite the girl's obvious efforts. He rolled his eyes and took off the heavy jacket he'd grabbed before he'd dragged her outside, draping it across her small shoulders.

"I'm fine," Levi said with a small sniff, trying to push it off. "You'll be cold." Gazille held it onto her and shook his head.

"Don't worry about it." A small smile tugged at her lips and her already pink cheeks darkened considerably, going unnoticed by the man beside her. What was with her? She shouldn't be blushing like a maiden! This guy was dangerous and kidnapped her and…was holding the door open like a gentleman. Levi sighed and blew her bangs out of her eyes as she passed into the warm castle, brushing Gazille's cold scales when she got too close to him. She shivered again.

"Oh! You're back. Very good." Mirajane was waiting for them back inside, and hopped along next to them as they walked into the small sitting room, lit with a healthy fire. "Natsu prepared this fire for you two. I hope it is satisfactory." She smiled. Levi plopped down on the rug in front of it, pulling Gazille's coat tighter around her. Gazille lingered at the doorway, unsure of what to do.

Mira looked up at him, then to Levi meaningfully. His brow furrowed and he shook his head uncomprehendingly. She used her spout to gesture wildly to the spot right next to the small girl. Gazille shook his head again, this time understanding, but too nervous to actually perform the action. Before leaving, Mirajane rolled her eyes and used her magic to make the rug under Gazille's feet slip so that he fell in front of the fire at Levi's side with a loud crash.

Levi jumped at the unexpected noise. "Are you all right?" she asked, looking down at Gazille's twitching form.

"Fine," he growled through clenched teeth, pushing himself up into a sitting position.

Levi studied him and pulled her legs to her chest. The fire was bouncing off of his metal scales, making him look almost rosy. _He's really beautiful, isn't he? _Levi thought, leaning her cheek on her knee. _Not a monster at all._

"What're you looking at," Gazille grumbled, embarrassed by Levi's stare. She blushed and turned away quickly. He laughed quietly to himself. She bit her lip.

"So…how old are you?" Levi asked. Gazille lifted an eyebrow and turned to face her.

"Why?"

"Just wondering," Levi muttered. "Breaking the ice."

"I don't know," Gazille sighed after a moment. "How old are you?"

"What?" Levi stared at him wide-eyed.

"How old are you?" Gazille asked again, bringing his arms up to rest his head on.

"I heard you the first time!" Levi scooted around to face him, and Gazille turned over to lie on his back. He glanced over at her and shrugged his shoulders, closing his eyes sleepily.

"How can you not know how old you are? Didn't you have, I don't know, fancy birthday parties or something? You're a prince after all!"

"I never saw the point in birthday parties. Waste of my time."

"Oh, and shmucking around in a castle all day isn't? How long have you been—" Levi was cut off by a sharp glare from Gazille. She huffed a little and raised her hands in surrender. "Fine! We won't talk about it. No big deal, I guess." There was an awkward few minutes in which Levi glared pointedly into the fire, and Gazille grumbled his discomfort.

"All right!" Gazille shouted, shocking Levi out of her trance. "That's it! You wanna know how long I've been this _thing _right? Let's consult the crowd of _morons _listening in!" With that, Gazille jumped up and stomped over to the door, slamming it open. A wave of servants surged in, falling in a pile onto the floor at Gazille's feet.

Gazille squatted down next to his kettle and leaned his cheek on his fist. "Hey, Mira. How long would you say we've been in this…well, this _state_?" he asked as if he were a girl at a sleepover asking about a boy.

"Well," Mirajane began, face firmly planted on the rug. "I'd have to guess about twelve years."

"Has it really been that long?" Lucy asked sadly from next to Natsu.

"Yep!" Gazille exclaimed in mock cheer. "Now, get the hell out of here," he growled menacingly, sinking into a deep-seated rage.

"I-I don't know if that's such a good idea," Gray stammered, a nervous smile plastered onto his face.

"OUT!" Gazille roared. The gaggle of objects tripped over one another on their way out of the door and down the hallway. Gazille slammed the door so hard Levi heard the hinges strain, and the wood cracked where he'd pushed it.

As Gazille turned back to Levi, heavily winded by his tantrum, he saw tears in her eyes.

"Don't you dare—" he growled.

"Don't I dare what?" she whispered, her brow furrowing. After a moment of silence passed, and Gazille sat on the armrest of his chair, his face in his hands. Levi stood up and walked over to face him.

"Don't I dare what? Leave? Cry? Don't I dare _what_, Gazille?" Levi pressed.

"Pity me." Gazille looked up at her, his face full of hurt. Levi shook her head, a tear escaping as she let out a small laugh.

"Oh, I wouldn't _dare_, Gazille. Pity is _wasted _on someone like you." Levi took a shaking breath and turned to leave. As the door slammed behind her, Gazille got up and ran his hands through his hair, feeling sick.

What kind of idiot was he, loosing his cool over something like that? He paced around the room for what felt like hours before he heard the tap, tap, tap of china on stone.

"What is it?" he grumbled as he opened the door. It was Wendy. She pushed a slice of pie in front of her, not quite as adept at charming the dish to float as Mira. Gazille sighed, leaning on the doorframe.

"I'm really sorry, Wendy," he said, picking up the plate and fork.

"You should tell her that," Wendy smiled. "I understand you're frustrated, but I think you really had her until your outburst." Gazille chuckled.

"You think?" he asked, taking a small bite of the cake they'd baked together.

"Yeah," she smiled up at him and started to leave.

"Thanks Wendy."

"You're welcome, sir."

**Author's Note:**

I love you. That's all I have to say. New chapter coming tomorrow to make up for lost time.


	14. Carry Me Home

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 13

Carry Me Home

Eventually, Gazille worked up the courage to go to apologize to Levi. He stood outside of her bedroom for a while, hearing someone muttering inside. Gazille thought how similar and repetitive this routine could get. He stood outside so long that a rather large crowd had gathered before he made up his mind to knock.

"Hey, Levi. I'm sorry about before. Can I come in?" There was no response. In fact, it was eerily quiet. Gazille frowned and pressed his ear to the door. He could hear Erza whispering nervously, but couldn't quite make out what she was saying.

"Oi! Erza? What's going on in there?" He paused only a moment before deciding to go in. What he saw was completely unexpected.

The bed was stripped of its sheets, and Erza had been dragged in front of the window. Levi was nowhere to be seen.

"Erza," Gazille growled. "Where is she?"

"I have failed you, Master! Please, do not hesitate to punish me! Chop me up for firewood if you must, but—"

"Erza!" Gazille interrupted. "Answer the question. Where. Is. She?" He circled the large wardrobe, until he stood between her and the window where he saw his answer. Gazille roared in anger. There was a long rope of sheets tied at the end to Erza's handles, stretching out of the window.

"There wasn't anything I could do, Master! I…I don't have arms, you see, so—"

"SHUT UP! I don't want your excuses," Gazille snapped, glaring daggers at his servant. He darted to the windowsill and looked down to see Levi's small footprints in the snow, leading out of the gate and into the forest. He grabbed the first coat he could find from Erza and dashed down the stairs and out into the cold.

Gazille sniffed the air, trying to find Levi's sweet scent, but he was thrown off by the now full-blown snowstorm. Levi's tracks were slowly being covered, so there was no time to lose. Gazille dashed off into the howling wind, running more quickly on all fours. He heard loud howling from the woods and struggled to pick up the pace. The wolves in this forest came out at night, and they were vicious.

Finally, Gazille found Levi surrounded by a pack of wolves. The small girl had fallen at the foot of a tree and was slowly being backed up to the trunk. Gazille let out a dangerous snarl, and all eyes were on him. He saw the fear in Levi's large brown eyes, how terrified and cold she must have been. That was all Gazille needed to go on a frenzy.

He dashed at the wolves surrounding her, ripping and biting as he went. Somewhere in the middle of their brawl, the largest one of the pack had managed to wrap its fangs around Gazille's thick shoulder. Even Gazille's sharp scales couldn't deter the protective canine's bite, and he could feel the tender flesh beneath his hard exoskeleton being shredded.

Gazille fought through the pain and took down the entire pack, ripping the alpha off of his back and throwing it onto the red stained ground. Then he noticed the pool of blood surrounding him, and the pain from his shoulder raged out of control. He took a few staggering steps toward Levi before blacking out.

. . .

When Gazille woke up, he was sitting in his armchair in front of a roaring fire with an aching pain in his shoulder. Levi was at the door call for someone to bring her more bandages and another bowl of water. When she turned and saw that Gazille was awake, she hurried to his side.

"How do you feel?" she asked softly. Her large brown eyes looked even more beautiful in the firelight, despite the worried upturn of her eyebrows. Gazille didn't like for Levi to worry about him. It was his job to do that for her.

"I'm fine," he said gruffly, trying to get up from his seat, only to be pushed down by Levi's surprisingly strong hands. She looked angry now.

"Don't be stupid! A wolf nearly bit your arm off, idiot! You have to take it easy!" Gazille could tell that Levi had been really upset by this, so he did as he was told.

Just then a tray holding gauze and a big tub of water floated in. Mirajane could be heard tip-tapping away conspiratorially, grinning as she made her way to the balcony of the room just across from the couple for the best view. Levi called her thanks after her, and began squeezing out a blood-covered sponge into the basin.

Gazille frowned and turned to assess his damage. There was a clear bite mark on and just above his shoulder blade that had obviously been bleeding horribly, if his red-stained shirt in the corner could be used as evidence. The wound disgustingly gnarled his already alarming skin, deep gashes marking where the wolf's teeth had sunk into his skin.

"I'm going to clean it again," Levi said, trying to sound as unthreatening as possible. "I'm using some antibacterial potion that Mirajane came up with, so it may sting a bit." Levi raised her eyebrows, making sure that Gazille was ready, before quickly applying a potion-soaked cloth to the affected area. Gazille howled in pain and lashed out, knocking Levi back a couple of yards.

"Don't do that!" Gazille roared.

"I have to!" Levi shrieked in response.

"Just let me get an infection and bandage it up! It can't be any more unpleasant than that!"

"No! It has to be properly treated or you'll die!" That shut Gazille up. He huffed angrily and gestured for Levi to come back and do it. Levi shook her head as she rose from the ground where she'd fallen and roughly slapped the cloth back onto the gashes. Gazille howled and snarled but dug his talons into the seat cushion to keep from throwing her again.

"Now, was that so hard?" Levi asked when the medicine had taken affect. Gazille rolled his eyes.

"It wouldn't have been if you hadn't hit me with it," he growled.

"Well, I wouldn't have hit you with it if you hadn't knocked me against a wall." There was silence as Levi slowly wrapped his shoulder in white bandages. Gazille was starting to get uncomfortable, embarrassed, rather, at Levi's gentle touch on his bare scales. He knew she must feel repulsed that she had to touch him like this.

"Can't you hurry up?" Gazille muttered, starting to get antsy. Levi sighed softly.

"No, I don't want to hurt you more than you already are." Another silence.

"Where did you learn to treat injuries?" Gazille asked, genuinely curious.

"My dad's an inventor, so he gets hurt sometimes. We don't really have enough money to pay for a doctor, so I learned pretty quickly." Levi was slightly embarrassed to admit that she had lived in relative poverty in front of this prince who owned half of a forest.

"That's pretty impressive," Gazille grinned. Levi blushed and smiled. Mirajane swooned.

Levi cleared her throat before commenting, "You know, you're pretty heavy. Don't ever pass out with just me around again." She bit her lip thinking, _Don't even be in a situation where you would pass out again. _

Gazille was surprised; this girl had carried him all the way back home? That was utterly ridiculous and…amazing. Gazille smiled and nodded his head, ruffling Levi's hair with his good arm. She lifted her hands away from him, and took a step back.

"All done," she said, and Gazille got up slowly, staring down at her. He licked his lips, thinking he should say something, but not knowing what. He just ruffled her hair again and grabbed his ruined shirt before opening the door.

"Thank you," he heard her whisper. He smiled.

"Thank _you_," he replied before walking away.

**Author's Note:**

Haha Did I say tomorrow? I meant…in a few months? Sorry about that. Thank you for waiting and sending me such lovely comments, though. I really hoped that this chapter was worth it as well as the rest of the story COMING SOON (I hope). I have to read I lot for school this summer, but whenever I get bored I'll be working on this! Expect more plot development as the story comes to a close!


	15. Dance With Me?

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 14

Dance With Me?

"It's just a simple ball!" Mirajane exclaimed, incredulous as to why Levi was being so difficult about the makeover she, Lucy, and Erza were attempting to give her.

"Then why do I have to go through all of this trouble?" Levi grumbled, sinking deeper into the steaming bubble bath Lucy had drawn for her. Mirajane sighed as she poured hot water over Levi's head for what seemed like the millionth time.

"We just want to throw Gazille a good party to thank him for saving you! We're very fond of you, after all," Erza commented, making Levi blush. _Besides, _Mirajane thought, _did you see the way he was looking at you at dinner last night? You two are sure to fall in love if he sees you in a pretty dress!_

"What do you think, Levi?" Erza asked, holding open her cabinet doors to reveal a red, skintight dress that would probably only just go past Levi's butt. "It's full of sex appeal. It will surely make Gazille faint!" Levi blushed and shook her head. She didn't need that to happen again. Lucy rolled her eyes and whispered something into the dresser's ear, which made Erza grin.

Suddenly Erza slammed the doors closed and opened them again to show Levi a gorgeous yellow gold gown with fantastic ruffles reaching all the way to the floor. Levi smiled, despite herself. Back home there was no way she would be caught dead wearing something like that; she was the daughter of an inventor, after all. Just to get an opportunity to touch the gown made Levi so happy.

"You're the only person I know who looks good in yellow," Lucy giggled. "Why don't we try it on?" Levi nodded nervously, suddenly embarrassed by the excess of wealth Gazille possessed. Immediately after stepping out of the bath, Levi was covered and dried by a fluffy, luxurious towel, which only seemed to rub in the fact that she would never be able to afford this in her day-to-day life. But, she supposed this was her day-to-day life now.

As the silky gown fell over her head, Levi tried to look pleased, but worry lines betrayed her anxiety. She wondered what Gazille would think of her in such an extravagant outfit.

"Time for makeup!" Mirajane cooed. Levi groaned. She wasn't one to wear makeup, except on very special occasions. She refused to let Mirajane put anything too flashy onto her, afraid it would look gaudy with the dress. In the end, Mirajane resigned to apply a light coat of everything, just to highlight Levi's features.

"Wow Levi!" Lucy squealed. "You look just like a princess!" It was true. Her hair was pulled halfway up into a bundle of magnificent braids and curls that framed her heart shaped face, which she could barely recognize. _I look so tall, _Levi thought to herself as she admired her reflection.

Mirajane giggled and muttered, "I wonder how things are going for the boys."

. . .

"No!" Gazille growled for the thousandth time that evening. Natsu was holding a gruesome looking file and suggesting trying it out on the spikes that had formed on Gazille's shoulders.

"Come on! Levi would be able to dance with you at all at this rate!" Gray grunted as he forced a brush through Gazille's matted hair. Gazille had only barely allowed him to brush it at all, and a bath had almost been out of the question until Natsu mentioned that Levi wouldn't want to have anything to do with him that night if he smelled.

Gazille glared at the soaping water around him and grumbled, "Who said anything about dancing?"

"Of course there will be dancing!" Natsu cried. "What's the point of dressing you up if there's not going to be any dancing!" Gazille muttered something incoherent as he got up suddenly from the bath and covered himself with a towel.

"A real man wouldn't disgrace Levi by refusing her a dance!" Elfman shouted from the corner.

"Would you give it a rest!" Gray yelled. "You wouldn't know a real man if he bit you in the ass!" Gazille let out a roar and threw his water basin against the wall.

There was silence as Gazille seethed, "Fine. I will dance. As long as you three bastards get out of my sight."

"Fine! You don't have to yell," Natsu grumbled, throwing the file behind him. Gray, Natsu, and Elfman filed out of their master's room, leaving Gazille alone with Pantherlily.

"Are you okay?" Lily asked him, crossing to the right of his painting to get closer to his friend. Gazille sighed as he brushed some dust off of the suit Erza had dug out for him.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Come on."

"I just don't want her to be disappointed." Pantherlily laughed, and Gazille shot him a glare. "What's so funny?"

"She won't be! You look very dashing."

Gazille stared at his face in the mirror, unable to see anything remotely dashing. His silver scales made his face more gruesome than he'd realized. He looked at the torn portrait of his old self that he kept in the corner. He had only been fourteen at the time.

"You shouldn't dwell on it so much," Pantherlily sighed. Gazille sighed, pushing his long hair away from his eyes, his fingers getting tangled in his coarse mane.

"Maybe I should've let them finish brushing it," He grumbled.

Pantherlily laughed. "Maybe."

Gazille sighed as he pulled the white pressed shirt on, followed by the navy jacket. He was surprised as he felt shoulder pads squeeze over the sharp spikes and smiled. Erza really had thought of everything. He thought the medals of honor that his father had won were a bit much, though. It wasn't like he was honorable, after all. Gazille chuckled. There was no way in hell Levi would believe he had won those.

"It's time," Pantherlily said, uncharacteristically gentle. Gazille plastered a grin onto his face as he nodded to his friend. This was his last chance, in a way. She had to fall in love with him within the week or they were all doomed. He kept that in mind as he made his way down the stairs to the ballroom where Mirajane was waiting for him.

"You look great," she smiled. He snorted and straightened out his jacket when he heard the door open on the landing above them. Glancing up, Gazille was speechless.

Levi made her way down the stairs slowly, a light blush appearing on her cheeks as she saw Gazille staring at her, his mouth open in awe. The yellow gown Erza had picked out for her was perfect, but Gazille thought it couldn't compare to the girl in it. She must have been the most beautiful woman Gazille had ever seen, and in that moment, he knew he had fallen for her.

"So," Levi mumbled, finally reaching the end of the stairs. "They did a good job didn't they?" Gazille finally snapped his mouth shut and just nodded, unable to form words. Levi smiled. "You look pretty good yourself," she laughed. Gazille blushed. How could he look good? It was probably terrifying to see a monster in a suit.

Mirajane cleared her throat. "We have prepared some music for you, Master." Gazille nodded, gesturing for her to go play it. A sweet, classical tune began, and Gazille held his hand out for Levi to take. She smiled as she took it. He froze at her touch, unable to keep his eyes off of their hands.

She laughed lightly as she took his other and put it on her waist and laid hers on his shoulder. Gazille tried to pull himself together as they spun gracefully around the dance floor. Despite his ghastly appearance, Gazille was a very good dancer. He had been classically trained since he was a boy, but Levi giggled as she kept missing steps and tripping over her own feet.

Gazille decided to lead her in something simpler first, teaching her how to dance a waltz expertly, her giggling and nodding, frustrated when she got something wrong. Mirajane and the others watched from outside in the hall.

"They're wonderful," Wendy whispered.

"You're right," Mirajane laughed. "But I wished they would hurry it up."

"Hurry what up?" Wendy asked, curious eyes searching Mirajane's face for an answer.

"I'll tell you when you're older."

. . .

Markarov woke up to a sudden ticking noise, warm light trickling in through the windows of his small cottage. It was _Voir_. Ever since Markarov had figured out that the mirror was supposed to be an alarm to alert him when Levi was in danger he had been only slightly more at ease with his small family's situation.

On one hand, he knew there was no way he could go back to the beast's castle to take back his daughter. On the other, Levi was all he had left to live for, besides Romeo, of course. The townspeople didn't believe she was in danger, so his plan to defeat the monster was thwarted.

Until that morning, that is. As soon as he awoke, Markarov knew that this was his chance. _Voir _had explained to him that the automaton could record the image of Levi in danger at the beast's hands with the power of the mirror Markarov had stolen. This was his chance to prove to Laxus and his gang that Levi was in trouble!

"Record it, _Voir_! Record it!" Markarov was jumping up and down in anticipation. There was a soft ding.

_Voir _said, "It is done."

"Project it!" Markarov cried, and that's where it stopped being extreme excitement and became complete and utter horror.

There, in front of his sweet Levi, was the beast, red-eyed and glinting, covered in blood. If this didn't get the boys to help him, Markarov didn't know what would. So the old man ran off into town to form a mob.

**Author's Note:**

Happy New Year! Sorry for making you guys wait so long, but school is crazy right now! I really suck at keeping a schedule. Anyway, tell me if it was worth the wait!


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